Final Fantasy: Shades
by MeiDarkreign
Summary: A young man, Sage, has a run in with the mysterious Cyden, a half-elven woman with incredible skill with a rapier. Soon after their encounter, his problems seem small compared to what she has brought upon him.
1. Default Chapter

A/N This is my second Final Fantasy fic. Please R&R. Any advice is appreciated.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The gold laced clouds drifted aimlessly in the painted sky. A slight breeze blew his dark hair about his face, some strands landing in front of his warm eyes. The grass made his back a bit cold, but he did not mind. It had been a hard day of work for him, so cold felt like heaven to his parched skin.  
  
He sat up and looked around. Everyone was gone. He laughed inwardly. Even the idea of ale made his fellow workers race off to the nearest tavern, regardless of whether or not they had enough gil. Well, he actually felt like a glass of ale himself. After all, he felt he had deserved it after what he had done today.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
His heavy boots thudded softly on the wooden sidewalk that lay in front of the tavern. Gold hair was all he saw before he landed squarely on his rump. He got up quickly, drawing his wide blade, and looked around. Standing in front of him was a woman with gold hair and a wicked looking rapier. The thin blade was stained red. The blood seemed to be from a large man bearing a spiked mace. His left arm had been taken completely off. Though, he wondered how a rapier could do that. He had to be cautious. If the rapier had done that to the man, then the woman was lighting fast and not a fool.  
  
The large man spoke. "You'll pay for that, you little harlot!" The man swung his mace over his head and aimed it at the woman. It did not go that direction. It was headed towards him.  
  
He held his sword defensively over his head, blocking the mace from his head. The chain hung over his blade. The large man tried pulling it back, but the woman took the opportunity to lunge forward and plunge her blade right through him. He gasped as blood spilled over his lips and he fell to the ground.  
  
The mace head nearly landed on his boots. He certainly did not desire to anger that woman. However, he felt the need to say something. But what? She spoke first. "You injured?"  
  
His mouth tried to form words, but failed miserably. All he managed was a nod of his head. "I am not going to kill you. You do not need to be so cautious." She laughed.  
  
"Oh, pardon. It's just that most would find it extremely ignorant to approach you without caution." His words still stumbled a bit, but at least they formed a comprehendible sentence. His grip grew very tight around his sword's hilt.  
  
The woman laughed again. "Is that your way of telling me you are afraid of me?"  
  
He straightened up rather quickly. "Of course not. I am a warrior as well, and do not fear much. It is just that when a warrior you have never seen before is before you, it is wise to take caution."  
  
She stepped a bit closer to him and examined his blade. "Believe I shall attack you, even though I said I have no intention of doing so?"  
  
"You said you were not going to kill me, but attacking is a different matter entirely. Some warriors wish to kill all who oppose them, not just the people who offend them."  
  
Again, she laughed. She sheathed her rapier and held her arms out to her sides. "I have no weapon now. Do still believe I shall attack you? Go on to the bar and get a drink. I've no quarrel with you." She placed her arms down to her sides. She watched him cautiously as he sheathed his blade hesitantly. He slowly walked up to her and past her, but sidestepped into the bar. He was no fool. He would not allow his back to be to her. She laughed quietly and walked away. Her duty had been fulfilled.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Bubbles of oxygen floated up to the surface of his amber ale, popping at the top. He took small sips, contemplating what had happened in the tavern before he came. The bartender had said that the woman had been drinking a glass of ale when the large man came in. He pushed her aside and ordered a drink. The woman did not take kindly to this and she asked him to apologize, seeing as he spilt her drink when he pushed her aside. He did not feel like doing so, so she pushed him out of her way. The man got angry, drew his mace, and started to swing it at her. She drew her rapier and tried to slice through his right arm, but missed and hit his left instead. Then the fight went outside. The arm had since been cleared away from the tavern.  
  
It still puzzled him how a rapier, wielded by anyone, could completely take off a man's arm. Rapiers were dueling swords to be used with other rapiers and fencing sabers. Impacting bone should have stopped the blade. Perhaps it could pass through the bone of a person who's arm was thin, but the large man was well muscled. Going through the muscle must have slowed the blade down a bit. She was definitely fast, but that still didn't account for why she could penetrate through the whole arm. The only explanation was that her rapier had been blessed with magic.  
  
He shook his head. Why the hell did he need to contemplate such things now? He had his own problems to deal with. The men he slew today during work had family, and fighting family could be a bitch. Sighing, he finished his ale, paid the bartender, and left. He needed sleep, and he would probably have few opportunities after the men's families got word of their deaths.  
  
Why had those fools wanted to up rise anyway? They were some of the best paid and hard working men that worked in the field. Building military installations couldn't have been that nerve racking to make them revolt. He figured there was a good explanation to this but he hadn't a clue.  
  
He trudged slowly back to the inn and turned in for the night.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
A/N How did you like it? Any comments are welcomed, as well as advice. 


	2. How not to make friends

A/N: It's been awhile since I've updated. Actually, this'll be the first update on this fic. Well, I hope you like it.  
  
His mind wandered as he stared at the thatched ceiling hanging over his head, watching the straw dangle and look ready to fall and bring the roof with it. An impossible notion, yet he had to keep his mind off of the day's events. He, along with a few of his fellow workers, had killed seven of his, now former, comrades. He did not understand what had made them go into a frenzy and start to kill people. He had had no choice but to defend himself and assist those being attacked.  
  
A picture painted itself in his head, reminding him of what had happened.  
  
He and a few friends were working on putting up log fences for the fort when the seven men had begun to slay people. He had no need to think to react. His blade was out before his mind knew what he was doing and he attacked the group, killing on man instantly, injuring another on the backswing. The men he was working with joined the fight, their weapons brandished with a fury. It was all over in a matter of minutes. All seven men lay dead in the dirt, while he and his friends were virtually unscathed. The seven men were generally good warriors, but their movements had been very sluggish, as if they were not themselves, and they may not have been. But what was done was done, and there was no way to change that.  
  
He shook his head, ridding himself of the images. Nobody had come knocking at his door yet, so he believed no one would. He sighed. Angry families were not what he needed to deal with. The warden was probably explaining what happened to each of the seven men's families. So, it was no surprise that the light knock that came at his door nearly scared the shit out of him.  
  
He took a moment to react. "Who is it? It's the middle of the night." He sat up in his bed.  
  
A soft, female voice came through the door. "I'm the girl you ran into by the tavern. I need to speak with you, please." She sounded serious.  
  
He did not feel like putting up much of an argument, seeing as how tired he was. "Just a minute." He got up out of his bed, found a pair of pants and put them on, and grabbed a dagger and placed it in a belt loop. He walked over to the door and unlocked it, opening it slightly. "What do you want?" His voice started out hard and stern, but it softened as he saw the woman's face. Her eyes just melted him to the core.  
  
"I need a place to stay, just for tonight. The innkeeper won't let me stay at his inn, and no one will let me stay with them. Although, I can understand why, seeing as what I did today gave them all a good fright."  
  
"So, why do you think I will let you stay?"  
  
"Today, you said you were not afraid of me. I could tell, though your eyes betrayed surprise, you were not afraid then, so I believe you are not afraid now. So, please, may I stay with you for tonight?" Her eyes pleaded with his.  
  
He knew he was asking for trouble. She had killed a huge man today with little effort. Yet, her eyes seemed to wash away his doubts. Shit, he thought, I'm such a sucker for pretty women. Ah, what the hell? "Yes, you may stay here tonight, but I won't provide any blankets or mats for you to sleep on. You will have to sleep on the floor."  
  
She nodded her head. "Thank you. I have a bedroll I can use. And, do not worry. All I needed from you was the place to stay. I shan't need breakfast or anything else."  
  
"Good." He opened the door to let her in. She came in and set her pack on the floor and started to unroll her bedroll. She seemed to have surprisingly good vision, seeing as how there was no light in the room. "So, what is your name?"  
  
"Cyden. (Pronounced Sigh-Den.) And your name is?" She looked over at him.  
  
"Sage, and is there a last name that goes with Cyden?" He smiled. She was so beautiful. Well, he had finally gotten a beautiful woman into his house, but not on the terms he wanted. Oh well.  
  
"My last name is Case. (Pronounced Cah-Say.) Do you have a last name, Sage?" She looked into his hazel eyes, which quickly looked away after she looked at them.  
  
"I do not recall my last name. I was chosen to be in the military at a very young age, and I suppose they did not want me to know any other name than Sage. Well, it is quite late. Perhaps we should go to sleep now, don't you agree?" He walked over to his bed and realized something. He couldn't sleep in his pants, for they tended to give him an allergic reaction if he slept in them, but he couldn't sleep without them. He, for the first time, had overnight company, and he had no desire to sleep in the nude.  
  
Cyden laughed. "I am quite content to look away while you slip into bed. And, I hope you'll do the same for me."  
  
"Um, thanks." She turned away and he quickly took off his pants and jumped into bed, making sure his lower half was covered. "Alright. I'll look away now." He turned his head.  
  
"You can turn around now." He turned his head and saw her face, ready to look away, but he noticed that she was still clothed in light underclothing. As he looked at her he noticed that she was peculiar looking. Her arms and legs were long and lanky, yet did not look flimsy. Her face was a bit more fine tuned than most women, with a picture perfect nose and sharp aqua eyes. She seemed chiseled from stone by a master stoneworker. She was too perfect to be human.  
  
He did not wish to ask, but he felt he needed too. "Cyden, what, exactly, are you?" Her eyes went hard. "What I mean is, your features seem a bit, well, inhuman. Of course, there is nothing wrong with being one of the best looking women in the world, but I am still curious."  
  
Her eyes softened. "For once, a man has noticed my beauty to be too much to be human. Most could care less. Well, I shall tell you what I am." She took her gold hair and tucked it behind her ears, her slightly pointed ears. "I am what you would call a half-elf."  
  
"But elves are celestial beings. How could you be half?"  
  
"My father saved a young human girl from being killed by barbarians because he never liked sitting by while people suffered. He, being a wood elf, lived away from the celestial planes. So, after he saved the young girl, he watched over her and soon grew to love her. He defied the ancient codes and married her. Soon after I was born, my father was banished to a celestial plane, never to see my mother or myself again. As you can very well determine, there are very few half-elves wandering around. If there were many around, it would throw off the natural balance. You see, my strength and speed is much greater than a normal woman because of my lineage. What do you suppose would happen if there were several like me wandering around? It would be a chaotic time. Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get some sleep." She got into her bedroll and closed her eyes.  
  
Sage looked at her for a moment and then lied down his pillow and closed his eyes. However, sleep did not come easily to him.  
  
The warm sunlight lightly graced his skin, yet it was enough to wake him. He sat up slowly and looked over to see if the woman was still there. She was and it seemed nothing was out of place in his room. He sighed. He hadn't needed to worry. She was just someone looking for a place to stay and had no other motives than that. A hard knock came at his door. This roused Cyden. Sage placed on his pants and went to answer the door. Several large, muscular men were standing outside. "What do you want?"  
  
"Give us back the pendant and we won't bother you."  
  
"Pendant? What the hell are you talking about?" He looked over at Cyden, who was fully dressed in her armor and had everything packed. Oh shit, he though as he slammed the door and locked it. "Cyden! You have that pendant thing, don't you?" She smiled. Her mannerisms changed.  
  
"Yep. Now, you might want to get some clothes on and run like hell, 'cause those guys will knock down that door in two minutes or so. Sorry about doing this to you, but they'll ransack your house trying to find the pendant."  
  
"WHAT!!!" He heard the pounding on the door and went to get his clothes. He gathered his armor and the pack he had prepared, in case the men's families came seeking revenge, and ran to the back door, running into the forest. Cyden was a good ten feet ahead of him. He wanted to stop and look at his house, but the tell-tale crack of wood told him his house was being destroyed at the very moment.  
  
When Cyden stopped at a small spring to get water, he went off. "That was my house! Why didn't you tell me people were looking for you?"  
  
"You wouldn't have let me sleep in your house otherwise."  
  
He slapped her across her face, but it seemed not to faze her. "I'm homeless now, with nothing but the clothes on my back, my armor, and this pack of rations for maybe a week!"  
  
"Don't forget your sword. You still have that." She knelt down to the spring and filled up her waterskin.  
  
"What? No I don't! I left it back at the house. I didn't have time to bring it with me."  
  
Cyden reached to her side and pulled the large sword from her belt and threw it at him. "I grabbed it last night and stuck it with my things. If we hadn't had to run, I would have given it back to you, but I knew if we had to run, you wouldn't have time to grab your sword. So, I got it for you.  
  
"Listen, I had no intention of putting you through hell, but you must understand that I don't have anyone to help me, and I needed a place to stay last night. You let me in and I am very grateful for that. But now, you're just like me. Perhaps, we could work together and survive."  
  
Sage was furious. "Why don't you just give that pendant back to them? That would get them off our backs."  
  
"The pendant doesn't belong to them, and I am returning it to its rightful owner. However, I'm not a generous person who is just doing this to be nice. I'm getting paid a lot of gil to bring the pendant back. A sort of mercenary you could say. Now, why don't you come with me, help me, and I'll give you half of the money." She looked into his eyes.  
  
Sage's muscles loosened as he looked at her eyes. Damn woman, he thought, you're too beautiful for my own good. Shit, I'm screwed. "Fine, I'll go with you, but I expect to get my fair share of the money. Deal?"  
  
"Deal."  
  
A/N: Whoa, a lot longer chapter than I thought it was gonna be. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I'll try to update this and my other fic soon. 


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